Shellac substitutes



Patented May 10, 1932 'UNITEDQSTATES PATENT orrlcr; l

ISADORE SIDNEY MELLANOFF, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR '10 KEMIKAL, INC., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SHELLAO SUBSTITUTES No Drawing. Application filed May 20, 1929. Serial No. 864,698.

The present invention relates particularly which will have the tendency to avoid the to a shellac substitute which is especially, coagulation and allow more flexibility in useful for use as a size, binder, coating ma' manipulation; There may be produced a terial or as a backing for paper, textiles, fabmore satisfactory product if in the batch rics or other materials. The material is made there'is introduced a small amount of sul- 65 by stopping the condensation process of phonated castor oil. This seems to act not phenol and formaldehyde which takes place only as a lubricant for the'stirring and interin the presence of a material acting as a catamingling of the mass but also has an efiect lyst or reagent at such a point that the conin the resulting product which may resemble 1 densation product is a substantially transan emulsion. WVhensulphonated castor oil is 60 parent material which on coolingto ordiemployed the mass the material when nary temperaturesremains somewhat liquid finally applied as a coating or size etc. is and the term condensation product is emsofter smoother and more flexible than when ployed the appended claims with such the castor oil is omitted. When the product meaning. As examples of such material any Is to be employed in' a place'where a high E of the condensation products described in polish is desirable a small quantity of wax my application for-Patent Ser. No. 290,267 may be added to aid in this respect. Likefiled July 3, 1928 Patent No. 1,804,379 may Wise an improved soft flexible product may be employed, itbeing understood that the be produced if there is added a small quanend product is not used but the intermediate tity of commercial animal glue to the casein product obtained by stopping the process solution before it is added to the transparent when the material is substantially transparcondensation product. Although the final cut and more or less liquid when cooled to result is useful when glue is used the handling ordinary temperatures. When desired there of the mixture is more diflicult. The presence may be added organic or inorganic fillers of the glue in the batch seems to causea such as talc, clays, pigments, fibrous mate-- greater tendency to precipitation or coagrials etc. although of course the addition of ulation. these materials will interfere with the trans- When no filler or. coloring material is pareucy of the material. added the product may be opaque like an The shellac substitute of the present inemulsion and more or less white or of a very vention is produced by mixing at ordinary light yellow color depending upon whether temperatures the liquid transparent condenthe condensation product employed has a sation product with a solution of casein. strong color or is almost colorless. This in There is anadvantage in adding the casein turn will generally do end upon the charsolution gradually or a little at a time to the actor of the phenol emp oyed. When a white liquid condensation product. Preferably the or substantially colorless phenol is employed material is stirred more or less constantly the condensation product may have a very during the process so that an even. distribulight yellow'color which when used forinakti'on and intermingling of the materials is ing the material of'the present invention into produced. Tf large qua'ntities or an excess which the sulphonated Castor oil is lntroof caseinis added there may becaused coduced will produce a substantially white agulation resulting in a settlement or defluid having the appearance of an emulsion. positing of material in thebottom of the yes- When, however, cruderphenols are employed sel., When this happens the addition of a adeeper yellow maybe produced in the transother solvent of casein will generally cause will produce yellowishordarker emulsions the coagulated matter to return to solution. by the present invention. The introduction It is frequently desirable to introduceiearly of ammonium hydrox d generally has the l l in the operation a small quantity of amtendency to produce in the product a more l 50 monium-hydroxid' or other solvent of casein or less pronounced yellow color even when small quantity ofammonium hydroxid or parent condensation product which in turn 9 a condensation product very light in color has been employed.

The material produced by the present invention formsa desirable and satisfactory water-proof coating for papers, as well as other textiles and fabrics.

Without limiting the invention thereto but as one specific example of appropriate procedure it will be found that a satisfactory material for such use may be produced by making a solution of 100 parts byweight of casein in 400 to-800 parts by'weight of water in which has been dissolved about 16 parts by weight of borax to aid in dissolving the casein. To this may be added about 10 parts by weight of 26% ammonium hydroxid. Of this casein solution about 4 parts by weight may be added to about 5 parts by weight of transparent liquid resin being the transparent liquid condensation product above indicated having a specific gravity of about 1.2 together with about 1 part by weight of sulphonated castor oil, and about 1 part by weight of 10% ammonium hydroxid. These ingredients may be brought together by placing the 5 parts by weight of the condensation product in a suitable vessel and maintaining it at the ordinary room temperature. Into this may be gradually poured about 4 parts by weight of the casein solution made as above described, the mass being stirred and kept in agitation to thoroughly mix. The casein solution preferably, however, will be added in small portions, say or at .a

time. with vigorous stirring as each portion is added to insure even distribution. If it is seen that too much casein has been added so that coagulation takes place the 1 part by weight of sulphonated castor oil may be added and if so desired the 1 part by weight of 10% ammonium hydroxid. Stirring will cause the coagulation to disappear. Of course the castor oil and ammonium hydroxid may be added to the resin before any of the casein solution is introduced and in some cases this may be preferable since it may insure a continuously smoother operation.

The transparent resinous condensation product referred to above alone and without treatment may be applied to paper and other fabrics. It, however, generally does not remain on the surface but is absorbed by the fabric. As a result of such treatment considerable quantities of the resin are needed and there is a stiffening and possibly a change in the fabric itself. When, however, to the transparent resinous material is added casein as indicated above there is produced a material which generally is not absorbed to any great extent by the paper or other fabric but is merely deposited upon the surface of the fabric to which it adheres tenaciously. Why

this effect takes place is not certainly established but it may be because the casein is in the so-called colloidal form. The transparent resin alone is more or less inelastic and brittle and even when associated with the casein a brittle coating may be produced which is limited in its usefulness because it may be readily or easily cracked and injured in handling or manipulation. lVhen. however, the sulphonated castor oil is added in about the quantity indicated above there is desired to produce a specially high gloss there I may be added to the coating material a small amount of wax as indicated above. The coat ed material may be crumpled to waze the coating and then passed through the calender rolls to produce an appearance of leather.

While the mass will generally be somewhat opaque and have the general cloudy appearance of an emulsion yet the thin layer placed on the surface of the material to be 'coated may be nearly colorless and substantially transparent and will allow the inherent color of the underlying material to show through and give a colored appearance to the surface. Of course the apparent color will depend on the color of the material to be coated. The invention is not limited to the precise conditions and quantities which are herein set forth as illustrative only. The proportions of the ingredients may be varied and the mode of application or compounding may decondensation product made by stopping the condensation process of phenol and formaldehyde which takes place in the presence of a material acting as a catalyst or reagent at such a point that the condensation product is a substantially transparent material which on cooling to ordinary temperatures remains somewhat liquid while stirring.

2. The process of producing a shellac substitute comprising making a solution of about parts of casein in about 400 to 800 parts of water containing about 16 parts of borax and about 10 parts of 26% ammonium hydroxid and then slowly adding about parts of the casein solution to about 5 parts of a condensation product made by stopping the condensation process of phenol and formaldehyde which takes place in the presence of a material acting as a catalyst or reagent at such a point that the condensation product is a substantially transparent material which on cooling to ordinary temperatures remains somewhat liquid to which is added about 1 part the batch agitated to thoroughly mix.

ISADORE SIDNEY MELLANOFF.

of sulphonated castor oil and keeping 

